The mermaid Spain team from Aqua Natura Benidorm, will represent Spain in Swiss Merlympics 2022, a world olympiad to be held on the 17th and 18th of September in the town of Fiesch (Switzerland). This is the first time that there is Spanish representation in this international competition, which will bring together swimmers specialised in the technical modality of swimming with monofin and apnoea.

Mermaids from other countries such as England, Austria, France, the United States and Switzerland, among others, are expected to take part. The Spanish mermaids who will compete in the event will be Maria Victoria Gorena, Lucia Lopez, Verónica San Juan and Veracruz García, all of them belonging to Sirenas Spain. To compete in this event, you must belong to an official school or an official mermaid club.

The Olympiad will include various categories in which aspects such as swimming speed and rescue and lifesaving knowledge will be evaluated. There will also be a test focused on collecting objects to remove plastic waste from the water, an action linked to the conservation of the marine ecosystem that seeks to raise awareness of the threat posed by plastic waste to the preservation of biodiversity in the sea, as between six and eight tonnes of rubbish is dumped into the ocean every year, 80 % of which is plastic, which affects marine life and threatens human health.

The competition programme will also include a specific form of underwater photography and underwater figure posing. Within the different events, three age categories will be established, including children, juniors and adults. Through the organisation of these Mermaid Olympic Games, the aim is to promote the practice of this discipline at an international level.